Deadly Shadows is a Thief game bursting at the seems with ideas, with most of them working out. It dared to experiment with the Thief formula, adding things like the City hub among others to the proceedings. While missions are a bit smaller than previous outings, they are tight and well designed and bursting with a gorgeous aesthetic. Where it trips are some of it's larger ideas notDeadly Shadows is a Thief game bursting at the seems with ideas, with most of them working out. It dared to experiment with the Thief formula, adding things like the City hub among others to the proceedings. While missions are a bit smaller than previous outings, they are tight and well designed and bursting with a gorgeous aesthetic. Where it trips are some of it's larger ideas not panning out as expected, such as some of the eccentricities of the AI within the City hub. Gameplay is tense and intuitive, while the story is full of twists and turns. It's easily the best plot and storytelling in the series thus far, providing a satisfying conclusion to the original Thief trilogy. Well worth your time.…Expand

So far,as much as i know people who like this game aren't really familiar with Thief. Where did those stupid monsters come from? Why don't they make a modern military shooter out of it? I mean since they decided to completely miss the point of Thief and all. It's in the name,see Ion Storm? No monsters or any **** like that. In first person if you are attacking with a weapon only the armSo far,as much as i know people who like this game aren't really familiar with Thief. Where did those stupid monsters come from? Why don't they make a modern military shooter out of it? I mean since they decided to completely miss the point of Thief and all. It's in the name,see Ion Storm? No monsters or any **** like that. In first person if you are attacking with a weapon only the arm holding the weapon is animated,although while in THIRD PERSON the animation is 10 times better with the Garrett's upper body entirely animated,it actually uses a separate animation for third person! Kinda defeats the purpose of putting the viewpoint on the actual character model,i believe a separate animation for first person is called a viewmodel. It's not easy to tell if you are crouched or not. Also there is this hub world,The City. You can see civilians having conversations and walking around which is kinda nice. Though everyone in this city seems to be care-free,since i would be alarmed if i felt something touching my money bag and not notice it an hour later like these people do i mean you would think if the money bags don't fall of them that it would take some time and some noticeable force to take it but NOPE. Seems like all people in the City use cheap glue for their MONEY. I mean if you are able to get Chronicles of Riddick Escape from Butcher Bay instead of this then by all means get THAT game.…Expand

I bought this game on sale, since I remembered the original game from a few years back. It came bundled with Deus Ex so I expected a great time. Unfortunately I can't say much has changed since the first Thief. The enemy AI is laughable and the hit detection isn't much better. You get a choice of different arrows and items, but their functions often overlap -- and the "moss arrow" wasI bought this game on sale, since I remembered the original game from a few years back. It came bundled with Deus Ex so I expected a great time. Unfortunately I can't say much has changed since the first Thief. The enemy AI is laughable and the hit detection isn't much better. You get a choice of different arrows and items, but their functions often overlap -- and the "moss arrow" was probably the worst idea of them all. Guards and citizens spawn infinitely in city stages, making it great fun to knock them out or outright murder them (it doesn't seem to make a difference) just out of boredom. As you'd expect of a game called "Thief", every quest is a fetch quest, but some of them are just gratuitous, making you go to far away parts of town and back just to speak to someone. The level design is completely linear, meaning unlike in an RPG, you can't complete other quests along the way -- you're stuck to your objectives. Luckily, they're clearly and briefly stated, as are the important notes you pick up along the way. Lockpicking in this game is a monotonous and pointless task, that involves searching for the 'right spot' and clicking. Rinse and repeat several times for the "gold" locks. The voiceovers, aside from the very husky and manly Garrett, are plainly hideous. This is the company that brought you Deus Ex and Tomb Raider -- and this was the third game in the series! Eidos was not some Indie developer without a budget. I played through it just to get my money's worth, and fortunately there was some fun to be had, and I especially liked the cinematic style, though the non-cartoon cutscenes are horribly compressed and look even more dated than the in-game graphics. Finding your way around is a chore, since your position is not indicated on the maps you steal, and the maps are nearly useless, one of them I recall showing two rooms adjacent as if they were on the same floor when they were on different floors completely. It should also be noted that the graphics are more dated than I originally expected, and all available resolutions are 4:3. The game is also incredibly buggy; I fell through the wall to my death several times, just for turning the camera the wrong way. The whole game is excruciating if you want to play as a legitimate thief, i.e., sneaking and stealing. The wait is just not worth it, and it's more fun to kill stupid AI drones than it is to wait around, pretending there's any feasibility at all built in. The loading screens are horrendous, even on a modern computer -- and you're kicked out of the application temporarily every time you load because of the resolution change (unless you have a 4:3 monitor, which nobody does anymore.) This makes fetch-quests across town even more torturous. I may just be unobservant, but I spent most of the time (tens of hours) in this game just searching for that one piece of loot that I missed -- a real pain since it's not always clear what you can steal and what you can't, since the only indication is a sparkling animation that's not always present and that's not always easy to see, on items that are identical to non-stealable ones. I was masochistic enough to play on "expert" difficulty, which simply means you need to steal more, because the enemy AI doesn't improve and everyone is still extremely easy to kill. There is absolutely NO REASON for the rating to be this high, as it is with a lot of nostalgia titles, even after they become stale and outdated.…Expand

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view.
A decent game and has some good points but clearly no where near as good as thief 1 & 2. It does add some improvements over the original. These include 1) giving Garrett a dagger to fight with instead of a sword (making hand to hand combat harder) which is how it really should be for a thief. 2) The lock picking mechanism, while frustratingly long in some scenarios, is better than interchanging two different picks as in 1 & 2. But many of the changes are just plan stupid. 1) Instead of rope arrows, which worked wonderfully in the originals, you get climbing gloves? And you can only climb certain types of stone walls? Ridiculous. 2)You can't swim through water, in fact you die if you enter it? Completely stupid! The earlier Thiefs used water to such good effect I really can't understand why they changed it. 3) Being able to walk through the city, buy and sell in real stores and pickpocket people is a novelty to begin with but it soon gets tiresome and becomes a chore.... especially when you realise that if you take out any member of the City Watch they are replaced straight away, in some cases while you are hiding their body! Being able to enter buildings is great but you soon realise that there really isnt many places to go or see. 4) The story. Compared to the previous games this one is more than a bit lackluster. The pagans have been turned into evil stupid idiots that don't even really live in the wilderness, they live in dilapidated buildings with a few vines (I guess they couldn't or wouldn't make a proper outdoor environment). At least the Hammers are left alone. The worst thing about the story is the addition of zombies and stone enemies that can't be taken out in normal ways, instead you need fire arrows or holy water. In Thief 2 you did have the robots but at least you could take them out with water arrows and they were far and few between. Finally the ending......probably the least exciting way to end the game, running around the city you've been thorough a million times before, planting objects in places, and then that's it, over. 5) Length of game is only about 11-12 hours, maybe 15 hours playing time , which isn't too bad but I did every single thing I could. Would've liked a few more missions. CONCLUSION Despite all this the game does deserve credit for maintaining the thief atmosphere and keeping the series going. It was still very enjoyable to play. 8/10…Expand

To me, this is the peak of the "Thief" series. It takes what was best from Dark Project and adds a new layer of surreal horror to it that results in one of the best games yet. The setting is similar to the first installment and the story becomes similarly weird and mysterious. The controls are way better than in Metal Age and enable a flawless exploration of the world. The story is whatTo me, this is the peak of the "Thief" series. It takes what was best from Dark Project and adds a new layer of surreal horror to it that results in one of the best games yet. The setting is similar to the first installment and the story becomes similarly weird and mysterious. The controls are way better than in Metal Age and enable a flawless exploration of the world. The story is what really tops the two previous titles. If you like the first two parts, this is a must-play.…Expand

Not as bad as some gamers claim it! Thief:DS is definitely the weakest addition to the Thief series. I think the reason behind that are the innovations the developers tried to implement in the game. Innovations like the new open city, the player can explore between missions( In the previous games the player were placed from mission to mission) , the cutscenes now use simply animationNot as bad as some gamers claim it! Thief:DS is definitely the weakest addition to the Thief series. I think the reason behind that are the innovations the developers tried to implement in the game. Innovations like the new open city, the player can explore between missions( In the previous games the player were placed from mission to mission) , the cutscenes now use simply animation (previously they used partly animation, and partly motion capture technology). The developers tried to update the game to 2004 gaming standards, and I think it was not liked by many old fans of the series. I have to admit that the story is somewhat weaker this time (The villain in the game is not as charismatic as Karras or the Trickster.) Above all I still enjoyed the game. It had the same stealth mechanism as the previous games. The atmosphere of the old games was still present, the graphics were improved, it had great music, and really good missions ( Like the Cradle). The story of Garrett came to a full circle in this last installment.…Expand

Thief is an interesting game that offers brave new concepts of stealth. It offers it in a sleek and original way that no other game I've played can compare to. The graphics do their job well, they're average but understandable for the age of the game but the real great thing is how many items there are to steal per level and also how many routes you can take through every level which isThief is an interesting game that offers brave new concepts of stealth. It offers it in a sleek and original way that no other game I've played can compare to. The graphics do their job well, they're average but understandable for the age of the game but the real great thing is how many items there are to steal per level and also how many routes you can take through every level which is amazing! The diverse tools of your trade include many different arrows for your bow as well as a blackjack, for knocking people out, and a knife for those life-or-death encounters. The bow works amazingly with it's different arrows whether they water arrows for torches or sound arrows for guards to be fooled by. Overall, a brilliant game that can, however, drag on after a while but still worth the experience of a true stealth game at its best!…Expand

This game was the first game I had ever seen or played. It was what got me into gaming and it made me love stealth. Now whenever I play an FPS I find a way to be sneaky when its not what the game is about. If you dont care about graphics then pick up this game. If I could describe it in any outher way it would be a double rainbow all the way.

Thief was very strong in some elements and very weak in others. The combat system is not very good, as it mostly involves taking out your dagger, your only combat weapon other than your bow, and clicking as fast as your little arm can swing, while the enemies swing at you with big heavy swords. It is, of course, a sneaking game, but I would still like a few more options on head to headThief was very strong in some elements and very weak in others. The combat system is not very good, as it mostly involves taking out your dagger, your only combat weapon other than your bow, and clicking as fast as your little arm can swing, while the enemies swing at you with big heavy swords. It is, of course, a sneaking game, but I would still like a few more options on head to head combat, other than stabbing or flashbanging them. As far as the sneak system goes, it's good, if a little choppy. If enemies are looking for you, they can see you even in a dark room, pressed against a wall, but I do enjoy the feeling of being a spy when I backstab a guard, who probably has parents who love him, maybe a girlfriend, and he instantly dies (Which does leave me to question how I'm supposed to be the good guy in this.) I like the variance in bombs, mines and arrows that I can use, but I think the normal bow is not powerful enough, considering it has an effective range of half a foot. The plotline is interesting, but like I said, I still don't understand how I'm the good guy in it when I murder an innocent man over a silver candlestick worth 25-75 bucks. Now about the audio... I guess its nice that the guards talk, but first off, who jeers at me by asking me "Are we fighting or dancing?" while I jab him to death with my pointy little needle of doom, and secondly, all the voices hurt my ears. Apparently they had 2 voice actors for the guards. One with a Wallace Shawn voice, and the other with what I guess is supposed to be a manly deep gravely voice but I believe is really a bear. What else haven't I covered? Oh, glitches. I hope you're one of the people that doesn't mind an occasional glitch because I found thief to be very frustrating. Not frustrating in the "Awww... i got killed by the final boss again" sense, but in the "Oh look, while hiding in the dark with my light gem as dark as it can go,the guard somehow found me" or the "Oh, apparently that guard has a neck of steel because I just drove a knife into the back of his neck and he turned around and smashed my head open with a hammer" sense.…Expand

i recently finished this game.i have to say i have never played a game like this before.you have option to either kill or sneak through.AI is excellent.the only thing lacking was a good map system.it doesnt tell the player position or destination which can be frustrating at times.

Yet another disappointing game dumbed down by the console crowd (oh the list goes on), nowhere near the level of its predecessor, but still a solid stealth game and probably one of the last of its genre. Despite the developers has put in a lot of effort into recreating the world of Thief, the limit of xbox forces it to limit the map size and many mechanics (rope arrow, scouting orb)wereYet another disappointing game dumbed down by the console crowd (oh the list goes on), nowhere near the level of its predecessor, but still a solid stealth game and probably one of the last of its genre. Despite the developers has put in a lot of effort into recreating the world of Thief, the limit of xbox forces it to limit the map size and many mechanics (rope arrow, scouting orb)were removed, a damn shame for lovers of the old Thief.To those who only played Deadly shadows, I am quite sure you remembered the museum level, amazingly huge with large areas to explore right? well, almost every level in Thief 2 is of the same size and quailty, that should speak a lot about its predecessor.

But despite all this, shalebridge cradle is one of the most amazing levels I have played in video games, I am giving 1 whole mark to my ratings simply because of its existence.…Expand

This is one of the best games i have ever played, the story and atmosphere just sucks you in to this world of its own. Every single level is a masterpiece and all of the supporting voice acting, sounds and music is there to spellbound you, it feels like every single character in this game has a personality. This is really a thriller with a story that makes you want to find out whats goingThis is one of the best games i have ever played, the story and atmosphere just sucks you in to this world of its own. Every single level is a masterpiece and all of the supporting voice acting, sounds and music is there to spellbound you, it feels like every single character in this game has a personality. This is really a thriller with a story that makes you want to find out whats going on and whose dark hand it is moving the pawns in such a sinister way.

What is locked - can be opened. What is hidden - can be found. What is yours - can be mine…Expand

This game is one of the all time greats! I thought I would never get to play it again because it would not run well or at all on Win XP. Thanks to Steam and Eidos they have updated it so it will run on the newer OS's. The story line and graphics are excellent, until you finish the first 4 levells. After that you have to start fighting gouls and monsters that your weapons just don't alwaysThis game is one of the all time greats! I thought I would never get to play it again because it would not run well or at all on Win XP. Thanks to Steam and Eidos they have updated it so it will run on the newer OS's. The story line and graphics are excellent, until you finish the first 4 levells. After that you have to start fighting gouls and monsters that your weapons just don't always work on. At that point it's still OK but it was better when you were a sneaky thief having to rely on stealth and outwit the law. The graphics are superb considering when this game was published, and the AI's are excellent also. They really come up with some funny funny little stories when they talk to each other or when they are looking for you. This game will entertain you for hours. I wish they would get Thief Gold updated to run on the newer OS's. and The Dark Project. I would purchase both of them even though I already have the original retail versions that don't work on anything but Win 98.…Expand

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view.
Thief: Deadly Shadows is truly the weakest game in the series, partially due to it being produced for the XBox. The levels are small, and the mini-maps are linked by this unexplained purple gas to connect them. Thus, you don't go through any of the city gates, but actually go around them through the purple gas. Other characters don't travel through the purple gas. As a result of the small levels, I found the cities somewhat boring. Further, some of the fun features of previous Thief games were removed (i.e. rope arrows) and were replaced with a wall-climbing ability, but it just wasn't as interesting. They really missed out on the opportunity to create a much more complex map (utilizing the "Thieves' highway" of the rooftops. Travel through water and flooded areas - once an interesting puzzle - has been disallowed. If you accidentally fall into water, you sink like a rock. No swimming, as in past games! A voice comes through and says you've been captured and taken to prison, which is fun to escape from -- once.

Going through the city and picking pockets is an interesting diversion for a while, but having to sell your stuff at a fence can get tedious.

You can befriend the Pagans and the Hammerites by doing things for them to increase your friendliness ranking. (Okay, that could be interesting... but...) But this just prevents them from attacking you later, and possibly defending you, and if you steal from them, your status goes down. Whether the faction noticed you stealing or not, they still lose respect for you. Also, the favors you do for them are pretty odd. Pagans, for example, like you to shoot moss arrows at green cornerstones to increase your status with them. Hammerites like you to shoot at dog-sized bugs which explode when you shoot them. (Huh?) To make matters worse, I encountered a few annoying bugs. Occasionally, the protagonist would get stuck in a jump and not descend until I exited the level. Occasionally, you could lean just right an look through an object to the horizon. Expect a few little screwball errors like this.

The storyline, as opposed to Thief: The Dark Project, was lacking as well. You don't want to think about it too hard. The villain of the story uses inconsistent resources throughout the story, as if the level designers did not consult with each other when designing the characters or levels. So sloppy all around.

So, yes, Thief 3 is a little disappointing, but possibly worth playing if you can get it cheaply and keep your expectations low. The game was obviously rushed to market, and could really have used another month or two of play-testing.…Expand

I love all of the thief games they are entertaining with interesting stories. This is a good game if you like to use strategy and be naughty. :p Not a run up and kill stuff and make everything explode sort of game. Hours of fun and glory.

Crappy console port. But that's the least of its problems. The awful engine means that loading screens are plentiful and levels are small. It's been streamlined for the Xbox crowd and features a bunch of nonsensical elements which were not present in previous Thief games (also known as "lore rape"). Very buggy and crashes constantly even on top notch computers. Getting stuck in the sceneryCrappy console port. But that's the least of its problems. The awful engine means that loading screens are plentiful and levels are small. It's been streamlined for the Xbox crowd and features a bunch of nonsensical elements which were not present in previous Thief games (also known as "lore rape"). Very buggy and crashes constantly even on top notch computers. Getting stuck in the scenery is not a rare event, and the ragdoll physics are lazy and unnatural compared to what they should have gone with - good animations. Quite a disgrace to the stealth genre and the Thief series as a whole, simply does not live up to the legacy. The game has a stupid City hub rather than the assumed natural progression between missions ala Thief 1 and 2. Deadly Shadows is also a lot more linear, and suddenly rope/vine arrows don't exist in the Thief universe and Garrett has forgotten the ability to swim (he dies the instant he touches water). I don't know why people seem to think of it as any better than Invisible War is to Deus Ex, it's honestly just as bad.…Expand

Absolutely amazing, ive played it 4 times and still ain't sick of it, lot of whining going on from old fans, but theres no reason for it. I grew on on theif 1 and 2 and think they did a great job with this game, and made it up to par with the old ones. Get It, atmosphere is unbeatable!

A taut, atmospheric and engrossing experience. The only real gripe is that The City sections become long-winded, lacking as they do the focus of the story missions and as a result make the game feel a little bloated.

Even though some of Ion’s design decisions, like the removal of the rope arrow and the inclusion of the third-person camera, will disappoint purists, it would be difficult for anyone to deny what a splendid experience this release is.

It’s the creepy atmosphere and the easy-to-pick-up-but-tough-to-perfect gameplay that most impress, and there are enough quirks and twists to ensure that you will do your damnedest to complete this compelling title.